Local Connection: Education Funding

While Hawaii schools continue to struggle just to find teachers, educational supplies and adequate classrooms, lawmakers continue to struggle with what to do about it.

A constitutional amendment that would have allowed the state to use county property taxes for schools failed last week.

That defeat was actually a good thing, because property tax for schools would weaken the counties ability to take care of their own important needs.

What's sad is that that seemed to be the only major initiative to help the schools this year. There is no plan B. If there is, it hasn't been revealed yet.

So we still have no coherent plan to put our school system on the top of priority list. Schools have to stand in line with every other agency while lawmakers make decisions based on their narrow political needs and typical pork-barrel thinking.

It's ironic that a basically one-party legislature can't work together to ensure public schools get what they need. If what's needed is a tax increase, they should say so and sell it to the public.

Instead, we end up with nickel-and-dime, 11th hour brinkmanship, and in the end, it's the kids that pay the price.